We Must Not Let Fear Trump Our Humanity

The terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and injured more than 350 was a cowardly attack on civilization. The extremist Muslim group ISIS targeted no discernible symbol of the French state, but rather ordinary people.

Groups like ISIS and all they represent does not deserve a place in the world, for theirs is neither faith nor religion, but a dark ideology they seek to impose with great ruthlessness on anyone who fails to adhere.

And while we weep for France and its people, let us not forget the thousands of people killed in countries of Africa. They too cry out for justice for their loved ones who died in, if not anonymity, near obscurity.

We are saddened by pictures of babies washing up on beaches and the sight of thousands of human beings fleeing their war-torn countries. ISIS will seek to insert its insurgents in this wage of refugees, as may have been the case with the Paris attacks. This is leading to a backlash against immigrants, and refugees in particular, with religious and racial overtones the terrorists will seek to exploit. Although we should be vigilant at our borders, it ought not, as some would wish, be at the expense of our humanity.